Cypher (The Dragon's Bidding Book 2)

by Christina Westcott

  She checked the chrono in her inhead display. “Wolf, we need to wrap this up.”

  “So all I have to do is kill Jan. And his immortal augies. And Yig knows how many bugs.” He dragged a hand across his stubbly head and snorted. “I’d better go for the Speaker first. Which one is it? I seem to remember a smaller one and another that looked humanoid.”

  Von Drager paled. “A Destroyer? He has a Destroyer?”

  “That means something to you?”

  “The Destroyers are assassins, chimeras engineered from the fusing of a drone’s DNA with that of the intended victim. Because of that genetic link, it has the ability to track its victim psychically, follow it no matter where it hides. The need to kill drives the creature insane, and it will destroy anyone and everything that tries to stop it. Could you recognize any traits that might have told you who the target is?”

  “Only one person it could be,” Fitz said. “Ari. Tritico must have taken some of her genetic material from fleet archives.”

  Wolf pushed back his chair and stood, holstering his pistol. “Doctor, let me talk to the sergeant again.”

  “Yes, sir?” Bartonelli stepped into view, pushing Von Drager aside.

  “Sergeant, get Ari to a defensible position. If she argues, you have my permission to slug her and drag her to safety. Fitz and Jumper will join you shortly.”

  Fitz clenched her lower lip between her teeth to stifle her protest. She knew her duty—to stand between her sovereign and death—and she would do it, even if it meant allowing the man she loved to walk into an unwinnable battle alone. Even if that duty threatened to rip the heart out of her armored chest.

  Wolf read her emotions and pulled her into his arms, his hand caressing the nape of her neck. He whispered into her hair, “A part of me wants to leave you here, put up the force dome and barricade you behind it. You and our child.” He eased her away to study her face. “But if you were the type of person who’d let me do that, you wouldn’t be the woman I fell in love with.”

  “Hell of a life we’ve made for ourselves.”

  “Yes, but who would have either one of us?” He kissed her, tenderly at first, but then it heated, driven by fear and uncertainty. A song of passion filled her mind, their melodies weaving together in counterpoint.

  The residence comm crackled to life. “Colonel,” said Lizzy, “I’m still waiting on the landing pad.”

  Wolf pulled back from her lips. “That bloody ship has the uncanny ability to interrupt us whenever I kiss you.” He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and pulled out a silver box wrapped with bright ribbons. “One thing before we go.”

  “What’s this?”

  “It’s your Founder’s Day present. Or had you forgotten that this is Founder’s Day morning?”

  “We really don’t have time for this.”

  “Just open it.” He pulled a dagger from his battle harness and passed it to her hilt first.

  She accepted the offered blade and sliced through the ribbons. Inside was another box, this one of dark, polished wood adorned with gold hardware. She lifted the lid, and a sharp gasp escaped her lips. Nestled in the padded velvet interior lay another Koenigsagg slug thrower, this one silver with an intricate pattern of leaves and vines engraved on it.

  Wolf placed a holster and box of ammunition on the desktop. “After we returned from Baldark, I tracked down Emil Koenigsagg’s daughter. She still runs her father’s shop, and agreed to produce a third pistol to his original specifications. Now you don’t have to keep coming up with excuses to borrow mine.”

  She lifted the weapon out, watching the light ripple down the long barrel. The black ivory grip felt slender, designed to fit her smaller hand. Above the firing stud, where she would rest her trigger finger, was engraved a single word. Beloved.

  “Most men go with jewelry. Not you. You give me a weapon.”

  “Isn’t that what you really wanted?”

  “Oh, yes,” she said, and showed him her appreciation with a deep kiss.

  “As much as I’d like to stay here holding you, we have to go before Lizzy accuses me of causing you to neglect your duty.” His smile disappeared. “What did you do with my spike?”

  “What?” she sputtered. “No. No. Absolutely not. No way I’m giving that jerk a chance to take over your body again. I just got you free of that maniac.”

  He caressed her shoulders. “It’s the only way, Kimber. You know that. I can’t go up against Yig knows how many of Jan’s augies as a Normal. And the bugs. I wouldn’t survive long enough to even get a shot at him.”

  “If that coward gets in control of your body, he’ll try to run away again.”

  “I can control him.”

  “You weren’t doing a very good job of it last night.”

  “That was different. I was exhausted. Out of it. My energy stores were depleted from healing all those wounds. Now I’m fresh, rested. I can keep him in check. Besides, he can’t run away. Jan has his hooks in too deep. Cypher has as much reason to want Jan dead as I do. You know this is the only chance we have of pulling this off. Now, what did you do with my spike?” He drew both of his pistols and placed them on the desk, then began unloading all the other the weapons he’d stashed around his body.

  Fitz wanted to scream at him; to tell him he was a fool to believe he could trust Cypher not to betray him the moment his concentration slipped. He’d hijack Wolf’s body in a second, and if he couldn’t run, what would keep him from crawling back to Tritico and dancing to his tune? Wolf would be handing the enemy a priceless weapon—himself.

  The hard blue glare in Wolf’s eyes warned her he wouldn’t change his mind.

  “I’ll get it.” She strode from the office, brushing moisture from her cheeks. Last night she’d debated throwing the spike into the recycler. Now she wished she had.

  Could she destroy it and tell him she’d done it last night? No. It was too late for that. She snatched the piece of plexisteel and heartbreak from the drawer and stormed back to the office. Wolf arched an eyebrow at her when she slapped it onto his open palm.

  He stepped to the far side of the room. “Put me down if you think Cypher is getting the upper hand, but use the Acton set on high stun. I’d prefer not to get hit with a couple of slugs from your new toy. I don’t have the time or the energy to heal up those kinds of wounds.”

  Fitz took a couple steps back, drew her other pistol, and leveled it at Wolf’s chest. She remembered how fast Cypher was; she’d have to be faster. A nod told him she was ready.

  Wolf inserted the spike and every muscle went rigid, a frown twisting his mouth. Her finger hovered over the firing stud. Only the slightest of twitches would end this drama, but neither participant in the struggle for dominance moved.

  His eyes opened, blinking rapidly as his gaze shifted from side to side, assessing his situation. He studied his upraised hands and armored body, forehead furrowing in confusion. Fitz zoomed in on his face and found not the slightest trace of Wolf. Cypher’s smirk transformed the lips she’d so recently kissed.

  “Well, hello, Gray Eyes,” Cypher said, shifting his weight as if trying to decide if he could reach her before she shot him. “Couldn’t live without me?”

  “Stop,” said Wolf. “And shut up.”

  “Wait, how are you doing this? This ain’t the way it’s supposed to work. I’m in charge. You’re along for the ride.” The voice sounded the same, but Fitz had no trouble picking out Cypher’s words from her partner’s Willcommin accent.

  “There’s been a change of management. I need this body’s augmentations, so you’ve been relegated to the back seat. From now on you’re just an annoying problem I have to put up with until I can find a way to get rid of you.”

  “Dammit, you make me sound like a case of the clap.”

  “Sounds about right.” Wolf moved toward the stack of armaments on the desk, but fought for every step. Fitz kept the Acton trained on him, and shifted backward to maintain her distance.

  �
�It’s okay; I have control.” Wolf picked up his weapons, returning them to their holsters and sheaths. As if to deny that fact, his hand froze, then began to shake. His jaw clenched, and his eyes squeezed shut, reflecting the silent battle of wills. Seconds ticked past. Fitz licked her lips, starting to tell him this was not going to work, when he hissed out a breath and relaxed.

  “Don’t try that again,” Wolf said.

  The voice changed to Cypher’s. “I get the feeling you’re going to do something stupid, some hair-brained scheme that’s going to get us both killed. You can’t be planning to go after Tritico. I know you think you’re some kind of indestructible hot-shot, but didn’t you see those giant bug things he’s hanging around with? And all those wireheads. They’re like us, aren’t they? And her.” Cypher waved a finger from his chest, toward Fitz and back.

  “And Tritico,” said Wolf.

  “Oh, great. Then how the hell do you expect to kill him?”

  “I can try to get my hands on one of those needlers, but failing that, a couple of slugs between the eyes should slow him down long enough for a thermite grenade to finish the job.” Wolf checked the load out on his weapon before jamming it into the holster on his hip. Moving with the stiffness of a man who’d run fifty klicks in full gear, he crossed to the weapons cabinet and extracted a sheathed sword. He waved Fitz over and buckled it to her combat harness.

  “Do you remember what I told you about fighting Tzraka?”

  “Stay alive?”

  He rolled his eyes. “That, too, but the first thing you have to do is cut off the blade arms.”

  Fitz recalled the hours of sword drills he’d put her through on the way to Baldark. “And the brain, its only vulnerable spot, is behind the second set of front legs.”

  “On a drone, yes, but this new thing, this Destroyer, is an entirely different creature. Its weaknesses could be anywhere; if it even has any. Von Drager seemed to think this thing is the ultimate assassin. Hook up with Bartonelli and fight in a pair, back to back, and, whatever you do, keep Ari out of the fray, even if you have to knock her out.”

  Wolf put his hands on her shoulders and studied her face as if he were trying to memorize every line, every angle. As if this one last sight would have to last him through eternity. He leaned in to kiss her, but stopped and pulled back.

  “No, he’d enjoy that too much.”

  “Spoilsport,” said Cypher. “Just one little kiss.”

  “Shut up,” Wolf said as he strode for the door. “Let’s move out. Jumper, you’re with Fitz. It looks like you’re going to get a chance to use your nifty new claws for something other than shredding upholstery.”

  The cat clicked his plexisteel claws against the marble floor. “You got it, Boss. If that nasty bug gets anywhere near Faydra and Momma Dragon, it’ll get a taste of these babies.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  The tail end of the weather front that had brought a blizzard to the northeast coast draped a misty drizzle across Striefbourne City’s streets and buildings. Dawn struggled with the overcast to lighten the sky. Silent on her repulsors, Lizzy hovered a few meters above an apartment on the edge of the Warren, the jumble of antennae, dishes and environmental units on its roof making landing impossible.

  The shuttle’s stealth systems hid her from electronic senses, but an imperial warship entering the Warren would attract unwanted attention from human watchers. Jan was too savvy not to have all his surveillance options covered, even the low tech human watcher.

  Wolf palmed open the outer lock, leaning out to mentally measure the distance to the rooftop. The wet wind drove what was left of his butchered haircut into his face.

  “And stay off the comm. It’s too likely one of Jan’s augies will be monitoring it,” he said to Fitz. “If you need me, see if Faydra can reach me. It might be too far for a telepath…”

  Fitz placed her fingers against his mouth. “I’m not a raw recruit, Love. I’m an experienced field operative. I know what to do.”

  “Yes, but you’re my field operative, and someone else is depending on you.” He laid a hand on Fitz’s armored belly, hearing his daughter’s faint song brush across his thoughts. “I’ve grown accustomed to the thought of having you with me for a long, long time—and now her, too.”

  “You promised me eternity, and no overgrown cockroach is going to cheat me out of it.” She seized his combat harness and pulled him close, kissing him with a desperation that belied her outward calm. Her touch sent his emotions into free fall. His heart hammered in his chest, and his body responded to the intimate exploration of her tongue… but now was not the time. She pulled back, her sea-fog-gray eyes growing dark.

  “Come back to me,” said Fitz. “Both of you.”

  Wolf dropped to the roof and watched Lizzy glide away, a smudge of blackness prowling the rainy night.

  I think she’s starting to like me, Cypher whispered in the back of Wolf’s mind.

  “In your dreams.”

  Wolf pulled on his armored gloves and donned his helmet, slapping down the tinted visor. With a map of the city displayed on his inhead to guide him over the rooftops, he sprinted to the edge of the building and hurtled across to the next, and the next, a shadow flowing deeper into the Warren. A klick away from his target, he dropped to ground level, ghosting through the twisted streets and narrow alleys that gave the slum its name.

  He slipped into a sliver of walkway between two buildings, shoulders scrapping the rough bricks on either side. A meter from the end he stopped, studying the electronics shop’s blank windows and faded sign through the narrow opening.

  Wolf recognized the building behind them as Cypher’s refuge from several nights ago; the night he’d seen Costos get his orders to betray Fitz. Had those two drunks he’d chased off crept back to reclaim their foul smelling den?

  He tossed a pair of spy-flies out into the darkness. The mechanical insects buzzed in circles, imitating their organic counterparts, then settled and began broadcasting images of the shop and adjoining warehouse to his inhead.

  “No perimeter security.”

  Isn’t that good?

  “Maybe, but I hadn’t expected to find anything. After the stunt you pulled at the Star Henge, the enforcers have been crawling all over this area. A high tech security system showing up in the Warren would attract more attention than Jan wants. He’ll depend on camouflage to blend in with the rest of the buildings in this neighborhood, but you can be sure he’ll have some nasty surprises inside.”

  Augies?

  “That too, but I was thinking about bugs.”

  Wolf felt a shiver of revulsion ripple through Cypher’s thoughts.

  He highlighted half a dozen spots on the shop’s façade with flashing icons. “All we have to contend with out here are these cameras. The way they’re situated, they’ll provide complete coverage of the front and both sides of the building, especially the stairs. As soon as we step out of this hiding space, Jan’s people will see us coming.”

  Don’t the cameras attract unwanted attention?

  “Everyone has cameras in the Warren—the police, the shopkeepers, the drug dealers—all trying to keep tabs on what the others are doing. The only thing unusual about these is that they haven’t been stolen and still appear to be functioning.”

  Then we have to find another way in. Maybe around the back or on the roof of the warehouse?

  “No. We go in here. And we go now.”

  What’s the fricking hurry?

  “I want to stop Jan before he releases that Destroyer.”

  But you’ve got that covered. You sent Gray Eyes.

  “I don’t want Fitz to have to face that creature.”

  What? You think she’s not up to it? Because let me tell you, she’s as tough as they come and I outta know. She kicked my ass last night, and yours too, by the way.

  One problem with the intimacy of sharing the mind of another person was that Cypher heard each of Wolf’s thoughts, felt every emotion. He could
taste the terror Wolf felt every time Fitz put herself in danger. Feel the mixture of fear and pride he felt for this remarkable woman and his willingness to give his life for hers, if necessary. This was love. An emotion Cypher had never experienced, and would probably never be given the opportunity to feel.

  Apparently he saw something else too.

  You got her knocked-up.

  “She’s pregnant, yes.”

  I didn’t know people did that anymore. Oh, the sex part, yeah, they still do that, but I didn’t think anyone had kids the old-fashioned way.

  Wolf ground his teeth and sighed. “Could you quit digging around in my personal life and get back to what we’re trying to do here?” He pulled two breaching charges from his belt pack. “We make it to the top of the stairs as quickly as possible and blow the outer door, get inside and take down the one into the warehouse.”

  No need. I have the combination of that one in memory.

  “Looks like you might be good for something after all. Let’s see how you do in a real fight. Remember, we’ll be facing others like me. If you shoot one, he may go down, but he’ll be right back up after you.”

  Then how are we supposed to kill them?

  “Try to get your hands on one of those modified needlers. Other than that, cutting off their heads might work. Or blowing their brains out.”

  You don’t know?

  “Best guess. Until now, learning how to kill another Lazzinair was never a priority, but I know from painful experience that the symbiont’s healing ability can be overloaded by severe injuries. If you shoot one of Tritico’s goons enough times to exhaust his body’s energy reserves for repairing itself, then the symbiont will put him in a coma. Could be that’s the best we’re going to get.”

  Wolf checked the load out on his pistol. “Now, are you ready?”

  Wait, wouldn’t it be better if we could get closer before they see us?

  “Yes, but considering the coverage on those cameras, that doesn’t seem likely.”